I'm looking to upgrade from my galaxy nexus and I am trying to decide between the note 2 or the htc one. I like to watch YouTube videos a lot and also browse the web and play games.
Note 2 or htc one?
- Thread starter xelafred3987
- Start date
Note 2 all day long. Unless you don't mind waiting for the Note 3 which hopefully is only a few months away.
The s-pen is a really nice feature. The huge screen and all day plus some battery life. And I will admit that TouchWiz is not that bad, it has some nice addons like notification toggles and one touch recent app dismisser.
I was really happy with it when I had it and I miss it now that I don't. :-X
Nexus 4, which is a great phone as well. I bought it after I sold my One cause I didn't like it.
It's hard for a lot of people to admit to any faults in the phone they spent so much money on. A lot of people are going to rave about how they like the phone they have and not talk much about the cons or defects. I buy, sell and trade phones for extra cash and am fortunate in that I have owned and gotten to use a lot of phones. I'm not going to go into too much detail but here's my thoughts.
S4:
I was really looking forward to the s4. I'll get straight to the point here. Its built nicely. Who cares if it's plastic it still feels very nice in the hand and is very slim. The camera is nice. The layout of the camera settings is nice. There's a lot of cool features such as the option to create gifs and the option to erase objects out of photos. The benchmark scores were amazing. But that doesn't matter in everyday use. The display looks very nice. Very sharp. The battery life is decent. Its not the best but it's acceptable. The speaker quality was decent. Nothing to get excited about but not the worst either. The ui is where this phone just fails. It stutters quite often. This is why I gave up on this phone. Sure you can change your rom or just change your launcher. But isn't that kind of why you're buying the s4? All of the extra features? I changed the launcher, the rom, disabled all the extras. Samsung should have given me a discount or paid me for my time to try and make the phone function with lagging or stuttering. You shouldn't have to work so hard to make your phone work like it should to begin with, isn't that why you're paying so much money. Would you accept the same problems if you were paying 600$ for a laptop? Or a tablet? Then why settle for it in a phone?
Htc one:
This phone looks Sexy. You first pick it up and the feel of that cool aluminum in your hand is nice. I went through three of these phones. Every single phone it was build quality issues and every single phones speaker crackled and the phones got too hot. Every single one. Not one had this problem and the next had this problem. They all pretty much had the same problems. The ui was fluid and worked nicely. The capacitive touch buttons didn't work correctly. They don't always respond. I also found that occasionally the screen didn't always recognize my presses either. There's small things about the ui that could be better. The screen is beautiful. A little on the small side but still looks nice. Battery life is mediocre. Camera takes nice pictures and zoe is really cool. Who cares about megapixels. I've seen poster sized pictures taken with the One and they looked great. The interface takes a little practice and time to get used to. Especially if you're coming from touchwiz. No menu button? Why? Why would htc change something that has worked for so long? I would think a phone manufacturer would want to keep what everyone likes and improve upon what people don't like. Move forward. Not sideways. And all of the ones I had got too hot. I think the aluminum body contributes quite a bit to that. The metal feels good when cool but miserable when hot.
Note 2:
Love the build. Sure it's plastic. But the entire front of the phone is flush. No running your finger across the top edge of the screen when you check the notifications like the one. The speaker isn't the greatest. But it doesn't crackle! The screen looks great. Sure it's 720p instead of 1080p. But with screens this small does it matter? It may not be super sharp like the one but you won't notice in everyday use. Its just my opinion but the larger screen size more than makes up for the resolution. I have large hands and long thumbs and I can type almost 80 wpm with this phone. You'll also appreciate that larger screen when you play a game or watch a video. Battery life is absolutely amazing. I can seriously go almost two days without charging. I love not having to worry about my phone dying. I don't know how but touchwiz works flawlessly on this phone. No stutter. No lag. Camera quality is great. Take a picture with the s4 and a picture with the note 2 and they're pretty much identical. Except you can get a wider shot with the note 2. The s4 does have a nicer layout for the camera options. So what. I get by just fine with this camera.
I could go on for hours on what I like and don't like about each one but I don't want to make this post too long. In the end it's your phone so you get what makes you happy. If anyone has any questions about what I've said then don't be afraid to ask.
S4:
I was really looking forward to the s4. I'll get straight to the point here. Its built nicely. Who cares if it's plastic it still feels very nice in the hand and is very slim. The camera is nice. The layout of the camera settings is nice. There's a lot of cool features such as the option to create gifs and the option to erase objects out of photos. The benchmark scores were amazing. But that doesn't matter in everyday use. The display looks very nice. Very sharp. The battery life is decent. Its not the best but it's acceptable. The speaker quality was decent. Nothing to get excited about but not the worst either. The ui is where this phone just fails. It stutters quite often. This is why I gave up on this phone. Sure you can change your rom or just change your launcher. But isn't that kind of why you're buying the s4? All of the extra features? I changed the launcher, the rom, disabled all the extras. Samsung should have given me a discount or paid me for my time to try and make the phone function with lagging or stuttering. You shouldn't have to work so hard to make your phone work like it should to begin with, isn't that why you're paying so much money. Would you accept the same problems if you were paying 600$ for a laptop? Or a tablet? Then why settle for it in a phone?
Htc one:
This phone looks Sexy. You first pick it up and the feel of that cool aluminum in your hand is nice. I went through three of these phones. Every single phone it was build quality issues and every single phones speaker crackled and the phones got too hot. Every single one. Not one had this problem and the next had this problem. They all pretty much had the same problems. The ui was fluid and worked nicely. The capacitive touch buttons didn't work correctly. They don't always respond. I also found that occasionally the screen didn't always recognize my presses either. There's small things about the ui that could be better. The screen is beautiful. A little on the small side but still looks nice. Battery life is mediocre. Camera takes nice pictures and zoe is really cool. Who cares about megapixels. I've seen poster sized pictures taken with the One and they looked great. The interface takes a little practice and time to get used to. Especially if you're coming from touchwiz. No menu button? Why? Why would htc change something that has worked for so long? I would think a phone manufacturer would want to keep what everyone likes and improve upon what people don't like. Move forward. Not sideways. And all of the ones I had got too hot. I think the aluminum body contributes quite a bit to that. The metal feels good when cool but miserable when hot.
Note 2:
Love the build. Sure it's plastic. But the entire front of the phone is flush. No running your finger across the top edge of the screen when you check the notifications like the one. The speaker isn't the greatest. But it doesn't crackle! The screen looks great. Sure it's 720p instead of 1080p. But with screens this small does it matter? It may not be super sharp like the one but you won't notice in everyday use. Its just my opinion but the larger screen size more than makes up for the resolution. I have large hands and long thumbs and I can type almost 80 wpm with this phone. You'll also appreciate that larger screen when you play a game or watch a video. Battery life is absolutely amazing. I can seriously go almost two days without charging. I love not having to worry about my phone dying. I don't know how but touchwiz works flawlessly on this phone. No stutter. No lag. Camera quality is great. Take a picture with the s4 and a picture with the note 2 and they're pretty much identical. Except you can get a wider shot with the note 2. The s4 does have a nicer layout for the camera options. So what. I get by just fine with this camera.
I could go on for hours on what I like and don't like about each one but I don't want to make this post too long. In the end it's your phone so you get what makes you happy. If anyone has any questions about what I've said then don't be afraid to ask.
Thanks so much, this helped me a lot. After reading this I am convinced to get the note 2. You should make reviews on YouTube because you would be really good at it.
Thank you. Kinda funny considering I pretty much just got chewed out in the htc one forum with the same post. But I guess I should have expected that since I don't speak too highly of the one. Don't get me wrong it's a great phone. But I just feel like they could have done a better job putting it together. I actually kind of liked using blinkfeed since I already use flipboard and they're very similar. But I feel that flipboard is better since there's more content you can access compared to the very few selections they give you with blinkfeed. But the layout of the programs is very similar. The front facing speakers is a great idea and I enjoyed not having to cup my hand around the speaker on the back to get better sound. But they crackled. First time I heard it I got kind of sad. I was willing to look past the rough edges and the warmth but then the speakers!? I thought well why else do I need this phone then? I thought man I loved my note 2. It was reliable. The screen size was fantastic. Sure there is an occasional stutter but that's with every single android phone I've used. It is not perfect. But, the note 2 for me has stuttered the least out of them all and it hardly ever does anyways. The battery is the best. Its just a really nice phone. I have access to all of the top phones out and I pick the note 2. Anyways before I ramble on too much. Thanks.
Samsung would probably pay you for your reviews!
SENT FROM ANDROID CENTRAL'S TOP SMARTPHONE OF 2013!! WOOT WOOT!
SENT FROM ANDROID CENTRAL'S TOP SMARTPHONE OF 2013!! WOOT WOOT!
Lol. Except for the fact that I'm talking badly about their latest flagship phone.
mayconvert
Well-known member
Just curious, Why no consideration of the LG Optimus G Pro?
Better battery life than Note 2. 3140 mAh battery in LG phone. I could go 2 days on 1 charge.
Zero LAG. (no fluff here, seriously, no lag)
Default keyboard has auto correct And swipe And word prediction that is better than Any android phone I've tried.
Same screen size as Note 2 but 1080P True IPS at 401ppi. In other words, the LG screen make the Note 2 720p screen look terrible (260-ish ppi.)
The G Pro is 1/4" less wide, so its more comfortable to hold. (size height) Very comfortable in the hand.
S-Pen is a cheesy gimmick for 9 of 10 people unless you have some desire to draw or circle things in photos all day long.
LG also allows you to write on nearly anything using your finger instead of a pen.
LG has a "smart button" that can be set to do nearly anything from launching the drawing thing, camera app, or whatever you want to make it do.
The home button on the LG has color coded options, Green blinks mean you have a text. blue = email, red = I can't remember. And you can program these color to be whatever you want.
You can make Yellow means text etc etc. it was the best notification system ever.
LG has wireless charging back included out of the box.
LG is 32GB out of the box with an SD card slot.
LG's UI is awesome. Really clean, but still has LOTS of features, they are just less in the face than TW. Some features you "discover" as you use it.
One feature I thought was cool is in the Text message screen, you simply pinch and zoom to adjust font size. I found that by accident.
LG Supports 3 screen wallpapers, also has a 13MP camera.
I could go on. but unless you are just a diehard samsung fan. The LG is a better device.
The best part, the LG is $549 full retail price.
I owned this phone for 14 days and took it back to get S4. The only reason I did that was because I used iphones for 5 years prior and I was used to a tiny device.
I had a hard time trying to adjust to the size. I felt that the S4 was best choice because I got the bigger screen but the 1 handed usage was easier for me.
Better battery life than Note 2. 3140 mAh battery in LG phone. I could go 2 days on 1 charge.
Zero LAG. (no fluff here, seriously, no lag)
Default keyboard has auto correct And swipe And word prediction that is better than Any android phone I've tried.
Same screen size as Note 2 but 1080P True IPS at 401ppi. In other words, the LG screen make the Note 2 720p screen look terrible (260-ish ppi.)
The G Pro is 1/4" less wide, so its more comfortable to hold. (size height) Very comfortable in the hand.
S-Pen is a cheesy gimmick for 9 of 10 people unless you have some desire to draw or circle things in photos all day long.
LG also allows you to write on nearly anything using your finger instead of a pen.
LG has a "smart button" that can be set to do nearly anything from launching the drawing thing, camera app, or whatever you want to make it do.
The home button on the LG has color coded options, Green blinks mean you have a text. blue = email, red = I can't remember. And you can program these color to be whatever you want.
You can make Yellow means text etc etc. it was the best notification system ever.
LG has wireless charging back included out of the box.
LG is 32GB out of the box with an SD card slot.
LG's UI is awesome. Really clean, but still has LOTS of features, they are just less in the face than TW. Some features you "discover" as you use it.
One feature I thought was cool is in the Text message screen, you simply pinch and zoom to adjust font size. I found that by accident.
LG Supports 3 screen wallpapers, also has a 13MP camera.
I could go on. but unless you are just a diehard samsung fan. The LG is a better device.
The best part, the LG is $549 full retail price.
I owned this phone for 14 days and took it back to get S4. The only reason I did that was because I used iphones for 5 years prior and I was used to a tiny device.
I had a hard time trying to adjust to the size. I felt that the S4 was best choice because I got the bigger screen but the 1 handed usage was easier for me.
Note 2 is a wonderful phone. Best one I've had. Battery life is excellent. No lag. Beautiful display. Great camera. The s-pen is awesome. It's totally not a gimmick. I use it to write up quick notes or ideas I come up with on the go. It's my mobile sketchpad. I got the phone because I'm an artist, and I needed something smaller than a tablet but with a big enough screen that I could turn into my mobile portfolio/sketchbook/art diary... And with the s-pen, it was obvious that was the phone for me. Sold some artwork I made to get it, and I've been happy as can be ever since lol.
It's great for media... Viewing videos and all that good stuff. You'll really love it.
Sent from my awesome Note 2!!!!!!!!!
It's great for media... Viewing videos and all that good stuff. You'll really love it.
Sent from my awesome Note 2!!!!!!!!!
Agree with the motion to consider the LG Optimus Pro if you're on AT&T. If not, I'd go with the One if it were me, but Note 2 owners have a LOT of love for it, and that speaks volumes about it. Most comments about phones on the internet are complaining about something. The Nexus 4 and Note 2 are the only ones I've seen so far that get so much "omg loves it" posting. Speaking of, why are you not considering the Nexus 4?
kgk1985
Well-known member
UI is a huge deal to A LOT of people. Like me, I hate the HTC UI
sent from Galaxy Note 2
Attachments
I had the original note and loved it. The note 2 is a better phone than the s4 really, as has been mentioned. If you can find use of the pen is a winner. And it does have unbeatable battery and a lovely big screen. I also think that the team behind the note 2 seem to have done a better job than the galaxy team.
I have ordered an HTC one next though. Currently have an s3 which was brilliant when it worked(apart from the comedy battery), but now is laggy and unusable. If you watch films and stuff the HTC one has stereo speakers and a 1080 screen which I think would be good for you.
I wouldn't worry about no menu button, because the latest update gives some adjustment. Most people adapt very quickly to it without issue. Latest updates also address touch sensitivity and camera too, and 4.2.2 release is imminent which should be nice.
The only thing I would say about the note 2 is that it is of a size where it can be hard to use in one hand.
Ultimately, I don't think you will be disappointed with either.
Chris's review above is excellent.
Posted via Android Central App
I have ordered an HTC one next though. Currently have an s3 which was brilliant when it worked(apart from the comedy battery), but now is laggy and unusable. If you watch films and stuff the HTC one has stereo speakers and a 1080 screen which I think would be good for you.
I wouldn't worry about no menu button, because the latest update gives some adjustment. Most people adapt very quickly to it without issue. Latest updates also address touch sensitivity and camera too, and 4.2.2 release is imminent which should be nice.
The only thing I would say about the note 2 is that it is of a size where it can be hard to use in one hand.
Ultimately, I don't think you will be disappointed with either.
Chris's review above is excellent.
Posted via Android Central App
natehoy
Well-known member
While you are looking at the note 2, take a gander at the Optimus G Pro as well. It doesn't have s-pen, of course, and the note 2 has legendary battery life that the ogp cannot match, but it's got a higher mpix camera, a screen that can hold its own against the n2, and it's considerably cheaper without making many compromises in features or build quality.
Sent from my LG-E980 using AC Forums mobile app
Sent from my LG-E980 using AC Forums mobile app
mayconvert
Well-known member
is that attachment from you buying and trying the LG Optimus G Pro or just quoting someone else's dislikes?
I completely disagree with what it says. The IR blaster worked perfect for me on my Tv and Sat box.
The app drawer isn't a mess. Who doesn't clean up their app drawer anyways? I grabbed all the "junk"and shoved it all into a folder or two.
There isn't any less intuitive about the LG than their is about HTC. HTC changed a bunch of normal things about android for no reason at all.
I disagree about the battery life someone else posted. I had my screen at 100% brightness the entire time I owned it and a 24 day with no charge wasn't an issue, ever.
I personally thought the LG skin was very well done.
The LG allows 7 quick launch, Note allows 5.
The LG does have the same Eye feature to say on when looking at the screen. You have to go into settings and turn it on.
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